Why Trump Cutting Food Stamps Could Starve America’s Economy

Why Trump Cutting Food Stamps Could Starve America’s Economy (Source nbcnews.com)

President Donald Trump’s plans to kick start the nation’s productivity by, in part, gutting food stamps, could actually starve the economy.

The proposed budget unveiled Tuesday assumes 3 percent economic growth, up from 1.9 percent, via a mix of tax and program cuts. That includes reducing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps, by $192 billion over the next decade.

This is despite the government’s own research that shows food stamps don’t just pay for themselves — they have a return on investment. A 2010 USDA study found that every $1 spent on SNAP generates $1.79 in GDP.

Besides putting food on the table, the stimulus spending of food stamps grows the retail, wholesale and transportation economies that get it there, according to the report. And every $1 billion increase in SNAP creates 9,000 full-time jobs.

 

 

 

 

Obama receives rock star welcome in Germany

Obama receives rock star welcome in Germany as he appears alongside Merkel and says ‘we can’t hide behind a wall’ (Source dailymail.co.uk)

President Obama surfaced Thursday in Germany for an appearance alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel, where he railed against the Trump administration’s plan to build a Southern border wall. Former American President Barack Obama (right) smiles as he hands over a set of headphones to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Without using President Trump’s name, President Obama criticized his successor’s plan to build a border wall. Former President Obama (left) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (right) greet the large crowd gathered to hear them speak in front of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate.

Venezuela has a stockpile of 5,000 Russian surface-to-air MANPADS missiles

Venezuela has a stockpile of 5,000 Russian surface-to-air MANPADS missiles (Source businessinsider.com)

Venezuela possesses 5,000 Russian-made MANPADS surface-to-air weapons, according to a military document reviewed by Reuters, the largest known stockpile in Latin America and a source of concern for U.S. officials amid the country’s mounting turmoil. Venezuela’s socialist government has long used the threat of an “imperialist” invasion by the United States to justify an arms buildup. Much of that arsenal was obtained from Russia by Venezuela’s late President Hugo Chavez, whose tenure lasted from 1999 until his death in 2013. The missiles, which are shoulder-mounted and can be operated by one person, pose a serious threat to commercial and military aircraft. Weapons experts said there have long been fears that the weapons could be stolen, sold or somehow channeled to the wrong hands, concerns exacerbated by the current civil unrest in Venezuela and the economic crisis roiling the oil-producing nation. According to a Venezuelan military presentation seen by Reuters, the South American country has 5,000 SA-24 Man-Portable Air-Defense System (MANPADS) missiles, also known as the Igla-S. The document seen by Reuters provides the most complete count to date of the size of the arms stockpile. Public weapons registries confirm the bulk of the numbers seen on the Venezuelan military presentation.

Britain’s Theresa May to Confront Trump on Manchester Intel Leaks

Britain’s Theresa May to Confront Trump on Manchester Intel Leaks (Source time.com)

A series of leaks on the investigation into the Manchester bombing by U.S. officials to the media has severely undermined the intelligence-sharing relationship between Britain and the United States. But British lawmakers tell TIME the alliance has to remain strong as the fight against extremism continues. At a NATO summit in Brussels on Thursday, British Prime Minister Theresa May said she would confront President Donald Trump over U.S. leaks in relation to the Manchester Arena bombing that killed 22 people, including children and teenagers, late on Tuesday night. “I will make clear to President Trump that intelligence shared between our security agencies must remain secure,” she told reporters. In the wake of May’s statement, President Trump said he had asked the Justice Department to launch a “complete review” of these and other leaks from his government. “There is no relationship we cherish more than the Special Relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom,” he said in a statement.

British interior minister Amber Rudd had earlier objected to American officials when CBS revealed the name of the bomber, Salman Abedi. “I have been very clear with our friends that that should not happen again,” she told the BBC. But the New York Times subsequently reported a series of leaked imagesincluding what appears to be a bloodstained detonator that was in the suicide bomber’s left hand.  The British Government and intelligence agencies believe these leaks could have undermined their investigation and even endangered lives. “That the Americans have done this is incomprehensible,” said Dominic Grieve, the Conservative Party lawmaker who chairs the powerful Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament.

WW3 fears as Russia reactivates satellites that could be adapted to put explosives

WW3 fears as Russia reactivates satellites that could be adapted to ‘put explosives on’ (Source express.co.uk)

As political tensions across the globe continues to rise, the western powerhouses have been keeping an eye on Russian activity and were surprised to see the reactivated 3 satellite in space. The satellites, Kosmos-2491, Kosmos-2499 and Kosmos-2504, have been inactive for a few years, but they are now thought to be back online.

Suspicions were raised when last month, Kosmos-2504, which had gone offline in October 2015, travelled completely off its orbit to come within 1,200 metres of a Chinese weather satellite that China destroyed as part of an anti-satellite rocket test in 2007. Kosmos-2499 has also been manoeuvring in an odd fashion in recent months. Anatoly Zak, a Russian-born journalist and space historian, told the publication there is a chance Russia is preparing to use the satellites as weapons. He said: “Looking at the history of space technology, it often starts with a small and cheap satellite that’s easy to launch, then the same technology gets incorporated into something larger.“You can probably equip them with lasers, maybe put some explosives on them.

“If one comes very close to some military satellite, it probably can do some harm.”

Dr Laura Grego, a space expert with the Massachusetts-based Union of Concerned Scientists, said Russia may have been keeping the satellites purposefully offline as to not raise suspicions.

 

Trump tells Pope Francis: ‘ I won’t forget what you said’

Trump tells Pope Francis: ‘I won’t forget what you said’ (Source kdvr.com)

He is something,” Trump said of the pope later in the day, during a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni. “We had a fantastic meeting. We’re liking Italy very, very much and it was an honor to be with the pope.”

The cameras and a clutch of reporters followed as the pope welcomed Trump into his private study, where the mood appeared stiff at first — as though the war of words the two men had previously exchanged hung over the room.

While Trump flashed a wide grin, the pope offered only a modest smile — his demeanor, business-like.

The Vatican highlighted in its statement that it hopes to continue providing “assistance to immigrants” as well as health care and education services in the U.S.

As the two men allowed the cameras back into the room as their first in-person encounter wrapped on Tuesday, the mood appeared to have lightened. When the men exchanged gifts, the pope smiled more broadly and easily.

“This is a gift for you. These are books from Martin Luther King. I think you will enjoy them,” Trump told Francis, as he presented him with a first-edition set of King’s writings, recalling the pope’s address to Congress in 2015 in which he quoted King. The pope’s gift left no questions about its symbolism, presenting Trump with an olive tree medal crafted by a Roman artist that the pope said symbolizes peace.“We can use peace,” Trump said.

“I signed it personally for you,” the pope offered.

First lady Melania Trump, wearing a black lace dress and veil, also exchanged a few words with the pope, who drew on her Slovenian heritage to make a personal connection.

“What do you give him to eat, potizza?” the pope asked the first lady, referring to a Slovenian treat.

“Potizza,” she said with a smile. The pope blessed a rosary for the first lady, traded jokes with the first daughter Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner, and handed out tokens to the president’s delegation. After introducing several members of his administration and staff , the president and first lady left for a private tour of the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica.Their tour guide was Barbara Jatta, the first woman director of the Vatican Museums.

Trumps national security chief denies classified info was shared

Trumps-national-security-chief-denies-classified-info-was-shared-with-russians” National security chief denies classified info was shared with Russia(Source nypost.com)
President Trump’s national security adviser strongly denied reports Monday that the president trump-revealed-highly-classified-info-to-russians-during-white-house-visit/” spilled classified secrets to Russian officials during a meeting in the Oval Office last week.
Former Gen. H.R. McMaster slammed a Washington Post story  that claimed Trump had revealed sensitive, “highly classified” information to the Russian ambassador and foreign minister. “The president and the foreign minister spoke about a range of common threats, including threats to aviation,” McMaster said. “At no time were intelligence sources or methods discussed.” McMaster added that Trump “did not disclose any military operations that weren’t previously known.”

An ex-CIA officer explains why intelligence officials “absolutely can’t trust

An ex-CIA officer explains why intelligence officials “absolutely can’t trust” Trump(Source vox.com)
President Donald Trump shared classified intelligence about ISIS with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting last week in the Oval Office,   the Washington Post reported Monday night.
For Glenn Carle, a 23-year veteran of the CIA and former deputy officer on the National Intelligence Council, this report fits into a concerning pattern he’s witnessed in the president.“It’s not surprising that he has no idea how to distinguish what information should or should not be shared,” Carle told me. As a result, intelligence officers face a dilemma. They have a duty to serve the president, and yet: “They can’t trust him. They absolutely can’t trust him.”

Trump: Firing FBI chief ‘eased pressure’

Trump: Firing FBI chief ‘eased pressure’ (Source bbc.com)
US President Donald Trump told Russian officials firing FBI director James Comey eased “great pressure”, US media report.
Citing a document summarising the meeting, the New York Times said Mr Trump called Mr Comey a “real nut job”. Mr Comey had been running an inquiry into possible collusion between Russia and Donald Trump’s election campaign. The White House has not disputed the report. Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported that a current White House official is a significant person of interest in the investigation into links between the Trump campaign and Russia.

On the Edge of a Major Event:

On the Edge of a MAJOR EVENT: Gregory Mannarino Warns We Could Be Staring at the Next Great Depression”(Source silverdoctors.com)
Analyst/trader Gregory Mannarino warns, “The Federal Reserve has re-inflated a housing bubble.  The Fed has deliberately created bubbles to save themselves. We really could be on the edge of a major event that would force people into the debt market. There could be huge amounts of cash coming out of the stock market because of all this fear. There could be massive amounts of cash going into suppressed assets like gold and silver. Housing could come under pressure. We could be staring at the next real Great Depression.”